


make the yuletide gay

by orphan_account



Series: that's gay y'know [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: enormous amounts of holiday fluff, hunk is a babe and i want to hug him, the holiday season is gay now no cishets allowed, the years start comin and they dont stop comin, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 04:17:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9160945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A blizzard traps everyone in the city for the holidays.





	

**Author's Note:**

> happy holidays!! this was supposed to be 3k, this was supposed to be uploaded on christmas day ... but eh
> 
> this is a sequel to my other fic [thats some gay shit](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8234219/chapters/18870602)

_december 23 rd_

 

**hunkalove → ho ho hoes**

**hunkalove:** my flight got cancelled

 **lance:** shit man, i'll come get you

 **shirogone:** drive carefully lance

 **lance:** yeah i know

 **allura:** hunk i'm so sorry to hear that

 **hunkalove:** thanks allura

 **hunkalove:** i'm just

 **hunkalove:** idk i'm just really bummed out

 **hunkalove:** don't wanna worry you guys though

 **allura:** awwh no hunk, it's okay, we love you

 **hunkalove:** <3

 

* * *

 

The apartment Lance, Hunk, and Pidge shared had character, which is a fancy way of saying it was shit. The floors were naked concrete, the walls were part-brick, part tacky 70's wallpaper, and every piece of furniture was horribly mismatched; even the dining chairs were a mess of colour and material. The boiler had broken down again, so every surface was littered with small cheap tea lights.

Pidge was sitting on the counter in the tiny kitchenette, wearing a green dinosaur onesie and watching as Keith made hot chocolate in a small yellow casserole. The old radio was tuned in to a 24/7 Christmas music station; Keith's choice of course.

Suddenly, the heavy door was being pushed open, letting in a freezing gust of air that made Pidge shiver.

“Close the fucking door!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around herself.

Hunk stumbled through the door while Lance held it open with his entire body. Both of them had absurd amounts of snow in their hair. Hunk was so cold you could see the redness of his nose despite his dark skin. As soon as he'd stepped inside he unceremoniously dropped his suitcase while Lance quickly closed the door and bolted it shut.

Lance dramatically pulled his scarf from around his neck and let it fall to the floor. “What the actual _fucking_ fuck is this _goddamn_ fucking weather I swear to God and Jesus and all that is holy -” he paused to pull off his boots, “- I almost ran into this dude who was trying to carry like, a _seven-fucking-foot_ tall Christmas tree through the _goddamn blizzard_ , why the _fuck_ would _anyone_ do that?” Lance threw his hands in the air with an exasperated sigh.

“Damn, he really needed that tree huh?” Pidge mused, instantly in better spirits now that the door had been closed. She jumped from the counter top and went to help Hunk with his stuff.

Lance just huffed as he picked up his scarf, took off his coat, and hung them up. Then he walked over to the kitchen and stood next to Keith. Lance held his hands out over the casserole and let the steam heat his palms. He let his head drop to Keith's shoulder with a content sigh. Keith's cheeks flushed red. He gently wrapped his free arm around Lance's waist, still using the other to stir the chocolate.

“S'cold,” Lance muttered, turning his hands above the steam.

“Really? I hadn't noticed,” Keith deadpanned. He let go of the spoon and swiftly moved the casserole to the back burner. He then used his newly freed hand to turn Lance around so he could hug him with both arms. Lance instantly wrapped his own arms around Keith's shoulders.

“Better?” Keith asked with his head nestled on Lance's shoulder. He could feel Lance's cold ear pressed against his own.

“Mm-hmm,” Lance hummed and buried his face in the crook of Keith's neck, causing Keith's blush to darken quite a bit.

Pidge made a face at them as she came out of Hunk's room, closing the door behind her. They all knew he needed a few moments of space.

Hunk's room was decked in yellow and orange wallpaper; the colours that had probably been vibrant in like, the 80's, had been bleached by the sun. The pattern was some wavy nonsense that became a headache-enducing optical illusion if you stared at it for too long. The concrete floor was mostly covered by a massive patchwork rug. Hunk's room had the best view in the apartment, out looking the small park across from their building. The view was completely obscured by the blizzard though.

Hunk sat on his bed, every movement he made was heavy. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it, to find his conversation with Shay still open. Her last message read _Stay safe, please_ , followed by a yellow heart. He shot her a reply, telling her he was back at the apartment safe and sound. Then he decided to call his mom.

She answered instantly. “Hunk honey, oh love, me and mama were checking the website constantly after you called, I'm so sorry sweetheart.” Her voice sounded thicker than usual.

“It's okay mom,” Hunk managed to get out. He struggled to sound as optimistic as possible. But he was so, _so_ tired.

His mother sniffled. “I know how excited you were to come, we should have booked your flight with ours -”

“Mom, it's okay, I had finals, it's not your fault,” Hunk cut off.

“They won't start flying again until Christmas day,” she said, softer now.

“I know,” Hunk said.

Then he heard his other mother's voice, distinctly higher in pitch and more determined. “We'll make sure you get here by the twenty-sixth at the latest, we'll cover anything so don't you worry, just stay inside with your friends okay?”

He felt his throat grow dry, and his voice was thick when he spoke. “Thanks mama. But really I don't -” His mama cut him off with a shush, and when she spoke again her tone was gentler.

“We want you to come home, even if it won't be in time for Christmas,” she said. “I know you're always trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, but please let us do this for you.”

“I'm sorry,” Hunk sighed.

“Don't be sorry,” his mama said, a smile audible in her voice.

They talked for a good while longer. They talked about home, about the extended family, about all the chaos Hunk's little sisters had already caused – it all made Hunk miss them even more. But knowing that he'd still get to see them, even if it wouldn't be in time for Christmas Day, made him feel better.

Once Hunk had ended the call, he changed out of his travel clothes into a pair of dinosaur pyjama bottoms and a Star Trek t-shirt. He slipped on some fluffy socks before leaving his room.

The ceiling lights in the living space had been turned off, leaving the room bathed in the soft warm flicker of candlelight and the gentle light of the multi-coloured fairy lights hung around the frosted windows and draped around the kitchen cabinets. The seasonal decorations in their apartment were mostly cheap, the only exceptions being a few things they'd all brought from home, like Lance's nativity set.

The TV was on and _It's a Wonderful Life_ was playing. Keith and Lance took up all the space on the couch; a smelly old thing mercifully adopted from a Goodwill. Lance was nestled between Keith's legs with his head on Keith's chest and his long legs stretched to the other arm rest. Pidge sat on the turquoise bean bag she'd brought from her room back home. She was huddled in a big fluffy blanket. On the floor below the couch stood a thermos filled with the hot chocolate, a bowl filled with toffees, Lance's empty mug, and an opened bag of giant marshmallows.

Hunk sat down on the floor, poured himself a mug of the chocolate, plopped in a single giant marshmallow, and leaned back against the couch.

“This movie would be like, a hundred percent better if it were gay,” Lance commented, voice slightly muffled because his cheek was smushed against Keith's chest.

“Don't you dare criticize this movie in front of me ever again,” Keith said without taking his eyes off the screen, watching as George Bailey attempted to woo Mary Hatch.

Lance leaned down to grab a marshmallow. “I'm just saying, straight people are boring,” he said before shoving the entire marshmallow into his mouth.

“You assumed I was straight until like, a month ago Lance,” Pidge remarked.

Keith chuckled, the warmth of the sound echoing through Lance's body. Lance couldn't stop himself from smiling fondly as he snuggled closer to Keith, wrapping his arms around his waist. The feeling welled up in him then, the feeling that had so very slowly grown roots in Lance's chest. He tilted his head slightly so he could see Keith's face.

 _I love you_.

The words were gentle in Lance's mind, they caused him to bite his lip and hide his face in Keith's shirt.

 

* * *

 

_december 24 th _

 

**pidge → doormatt**

**pidge:** we won't go home today will we?

 **doormatt:** mom called and when i mentioned maybe braving the weather she nearly reached through the phone to slap me

 **doormatt:** she was like “matthew david holt dont you dare risk your life you better stay put or i will glue you to your chair”

 **doormatt:** then she asked to talk to shiro and you know how they get

 **pidge:** ok

 **doormatt:** in all seriousness

 **doormatt:** the weather reports are only showing it getting worse, the snow won't let up until tomorrow

 **pidge:** i know

 **pidge:** i was just really excited to go home for hanukkah

 **doormatt:** i know katie

 **doormatt:** shiro said keith was thinking of walking over here and he told me to tell you to tell keith to stay where he is

 **pidge:** why do they always act like this when they fight?

 **pidge:** and nah

 **pidge:** staying here will be depressing as fuck

 **pidge:** plus we don't have any food bc we didn't think we'd be staying so

 **doormatt:** pidge no

 **pidge:** sorry gtg

 

* * *

 

No one knew how Keith managed to convince Lance, Pidge, and Hunk's landlord to lend him her snowmobile, nor did they know _why_ their landlord had a snowmobile in the first place.

But there they were, outside their building, wearing at least ten layers of clothing each, all huddled around this old run down snowmobile. Keith was using his experience as a boy scout to tie a red plastic sleigh to the vehicle with a thick piece of rope.

“Why do you just carry rope with you?” Pidge asked in a raised voice so she'd be heard over the blizzard.

Keith finished the knot and looked up at her with a serious expression. “Because I always end up in situations like this.” He stood up from where he'd crouched behind the snowmobile and looked at his friends. “Pidge, Lance, you're the lightest so you'll sit in the sleigh while me and Hunk are on the snowmobile.”

“Objection!” Lance exclaimed.

“Denied,” Keith retorted. He swung a leg over the vehicle and sat down, revving up the engine. Hunk sat behind Keith and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, while Pidge and Lance sat in the sleigh (Lance did so begrudgingly).

“Where did you even learn how to drive this thing?” Pidge shouted over the engine. Keith shrugged.

“I didn't.”

Before anyone could object, the snowmobile shot forward with Lance yelling “ _Goddamnit Keith!_ ”

The roads were empty, covered in at least a foot of snow. Despite the blizzard (or maybe because of it) the city held an odd atmosphere. Like an airport at 3 AM, the kind of atmosphere that had you believing that a ghost could appear at any moment and offer you a Capri Sun from a raggedy old _Power Rangers_ backpack.

Keith drove carefully, asking Hunk to keep an eye on Lance and Pidge. Lance and Pidge were doing more than fine, both laughing at every turn. Pidge savoured the feeling of the biting wind pushing against her face, the sleigh scraping and bumping over the snow, the thrill that came when Keith took a turn a bit too sharply, causing the sleigh to swing wildly off course. It reminded her of her and Matt's childhood, when they'd go sleighing for hours until their fingers went numb. Lance carelessly held up his phone, making sure to document the experience and share it with his Snapchat followers.

The ride only took about fifteen minutes. Keith came to a slow stop in front of the old brownstone, parking on the sidewalk, which was indistinguishable from the road because of the snow. They all got up with Pidge and Lance talking excitedly about the drive while Hunk shook his head. Keith pressed the bell for apartment 4, and the door buzzed open almost immediately. Everyone hurried inside, breathing matching sighs of relief at being away from the scorching cold.

While the four of them made their way up the stairs, Shiro was laying on the couch inside the apartment. Blackie, the 76 pound black brindle mastiff was sprawled out on the floor by the couch, looking quizzedly at Shiro. Shiro smiled and reached down to pet her head. Her eyes gleamed and she leaned into the touch.

Matt returned from the entryway where he'd buzzed Pidge and the others in. He walked to the couch and bent down to swiftly kiss Shiro's forehead before continuing to the small kitchen, talking as he walked. “You'll feel better having them all here.”

Shiro sat up and rubbed his temple. “How did they even get here so quickly?”

Matt was now stood in the kitchen, preparing a pot of tea. “Based on Lance's Snapchats, I'm not sure I want to know,” he answered.

Shiro stood up and stretched, his back popping loudly. Then he made his way to the kitchen and wrapped himself around Matt until the smaller man was basically cocooned by his body. Matt smiled to himself as he cast a glance to where Shiro's hands wrapped around his waist, to he silver band on the ring finger of Shiro's right hand.

The apartment was large with dark wooden floors that would creak under your feet in the morning, high ceilings, and walls painted a soft beige. The walls were covered in framed prints, postcards, and photographs. Pictures from their graduations, family photos, pictures of Keith and Shiro as kids with the vast deserts of Utah in the background, pictures of Matt holding baby Katie in his arms – pictures that made a home.

The front door of the apartment opened, letting in an uncomfortable gust of cold air. Shiro detangled himself from Matt and went to stand in the archway that lead to the entryway. Shiro crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on Keith, who was working on removing his four layers of outerwear.

Lance and Pidge were still excited from the ride. As soon as Pidge had removed her boots, she sauntered into the apartment, haphazardly leaving a trail of outerwear in her wake. She addressed Matt excitedly as she went.

“Matt you should have been there, it was so _cool!_ Every time the snow scooter thing took a swing we freaking _drifted_ and one time Lance almost _fell off_ and lost his phone, and Hunk was just looking at us like we'd gone _nuts!_ ” She took a breath after her spiel while finally removing her last sweater, throwing it over one of the oak dining chairs before sitting down.

Shiro narrowed his eyes at Keith. “A _snow scooter?_ ” he questioned, sounding wholly unimpressed.

“A _snowmobile_ ,” Keith corrected while hanging up his clothes. He was wearing one of Lance's sweaters, a baggy navy blue one, the sleeves of which came down to the tips of Keith's fingers.

“Where did you – y'know what, I don't even want to know,” Shiro sighed, uncrossing his arms to tiredly rub his cheek.

Keith huffed. “I borrowed it from their landlord, told her we needed to get to the hospital because Hunk's grandmother was on her deathbed,” he explained, before walking past Shiro into the living room.

When Shiro knew Keith couldn't see his face, he smiled.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later found the menorah standing on a side table in the entryway with its first candle lit. Everyone was gathered in the living room after a dinner consisting of mostly leftovers. Shiro, Matt, and Keith hadn't expected to stay home for the holidays either, so the fridge lacked fresh ingredients. The chicken soup still held up though, and the challah was fresh enough. It definitely made Shiro, Keith, Pidge, and Matt miss a good proper Hanukkah dinner though.

A holiday playlist was playing softly from the stereo, filling the living room with familiar songs. Pidge was on her computer, typing away, Hunk and Shiro both sat on the couch, each with a book in hand. Matt was on the floor, looking through several astrophysics reports and occasionally scribbling in a notebook. Keith was hanging candycanes on the tree with red ribbon, Lance was originally supposed to help – that was, until he started eating one of the canes and found that it was the fruity kind instead of the classic mint.

“Who buys fruit candycanes? _Heathens_ , that's who,” he said while looking pointedly at Keith.

“Mint is disgusting,” Keith said, voice muffled by the ribbon he held between his lips.

“How do you even brush your teeth if you don't like mint?”

“I haven't brushed my teeth since 1983,” Keith deadpanned.

“He uses _Thomas the Tank Engine_ toothpaste,” Matt informed from his position on the floor.

Lance put his hands on his hips. “That's … ugh!” He crossed his arms. Keith using goddamn fucking _Thomas the Tank Engine_ toothpaste shouldn't be this endearing.

Keith removed the ribbon from his mouth and tied it around the candycane, finishing off with a neat little bow. “Choo choo motherfuckers,” he said before hanging it on the tree.

The Christmas tree was six point five feet tall, which was why a small step ladder stood folded by the wall beside it. It was lush and full, emitting a strong pine scent. Matt, Shiro, and Keith had made sure it was decorated so extravagantly, some non-believers might deem it over-the-top. But can you really have too many Christmas decorations.

No, no you can't.

“I'm going to the bathroom,” Lance announced.

“Thanks for the update, can't wait to hear what happens next,” said Pidge without looking up from her computer.

Lance scoffed. “Just needed to make sure you all know where I am so you won't think you've been deprived of my awesome presence.”

“Just remember to put the lid down when you're done,” Shiro said.

Lance made a small salute, although Shiro hadn't looked up from his book. His reading glasses had slid so far down his nose, they would likely slide off any minute now.

Before Lance could go, Keith grabbed his wrist gently. Lance looked down at him and felt his cheeks flush as he noticed the way the lights from the tree reflected in Keith's eyes, the warm light turning his irises a deep lavender. Keith's cheeks were tinged red and he was biting his top lip. Then he quickly pecked Lance's cheek.

Lance's face lit up with a fond smile, eyes glittering as he looked at Keith. Keith felt his legs turn to jelly. Having Lance look at him like that was _not_ fair, not when the three words were already sitting restlessly at the tip of his tongue.

 _I love you_.

Instead of saying those words out loud, Keith let go of Lance's wrist and said, “Don't get yourself locked in idiot.”

Lance grinned. “I'll try my best,” he said before walking to the bathroom.

The paint of the door still had dents from when Keith had kicked it in.

Keith returned to decorating the tree with candycanes. In fact, the entire apartment was decorated with candycanes in various places, there were even a few hanging from the bathroom mirror in case someone needed a mid-poop snack (eating while on the toilet is a life-affirming experience).

Aside from candycanes, the apartment was covered in fairy lights. They hung from the ceiling, framed every archway, and illuminated every window. Clusters of pine tied with baubles and ribbon hung from the walls, and holiday wreaths hung on every door.

Everything was calm until Pidge exclaimed “Bullshit!” and closed her laptop abruptly, pouting as she did so.

“Language,” Matt said tonelessly from his spot on the floor.

Hunk lowered his book and turned to Pidge. “What's up?” he asked.

“This goddamn sorting hat test fucking put me in fucking _Hufflepuff!_ Can you believe this?” She gesticulated wildly with her tiny arms as she spoke.

“Language,” Matt repeated.

“The audacity,” Shiro said with a small smirk.

“Everyone knows I'm a Gryffindor.” Pidge huffed and sunk down in the chair, crossing her arms.

“Hey, Hufflepuff's not the worst house to be sorted into,” Hunk said, moving his book to his lap so he could lean forward and grab a clementine from the bowl on the sofa table. “Shiro's a Hufflepuff,” he said as he began peeling the fruit.

“Shiro is a gigantic loaf of love, of course he's a Hufflepuff! But I'm a ball of rage, ready for battle, a force to be reckoned with.”

Matt smiled. “You _did_ always kill spiders for me when we were kids.”

“I could kill you at any moment,” she retorted, giving her brother a sour look.

“That's what I want for the second night of Hanukkah, death.”

“Good, because that's all you're getting.”

“Play the vaporwave remix of All Star as my casket is lowered into the grave.”

“I thought you wanted to be cremated?” Hunk interjected.

“Play the vaporwave remix of All Star as my body is rolled into the furnace,” Matt corrected himself.

“I'll throw your body into a volcano,” Pidge began, “and then I'll -”

She was cut off as the lights and music turned off and left the apartment in darkness apart from the flickering candlelight.

“WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FU-” Lance screeched from the bathroom, followed by a loud bang and a string of Spanish curses. Hunk jumped into action, rushing from the couch to the bathroom door.

“Lance, you okay there buddy?” he asked, placing a hand on the door.

“Just fuckin' dandy, so fuckin' great, this is _fantastic_ , I love tripping over a pair of boxers that say _eat me_ on the back and hitting my head on the toilet seat.” Lance unlocked and opened the door. He was holding a bunch of toilet paper to his head and grimacing as he spoke. “I hope your bathroom burns down.” Hunk went to the kitchen and got a bag of frozen green peas from the freezer and handed it to Lance.

“Hashtag same,” Matt said.

“Don't say hashtag out loud like that you pea,” Pidge said.

Matt smirked. “But _I love those peas_ -”

Before he could finish, Pidge had flung herself across the floor, landing harshly on Matt's back.

“NO!” she yelled. “Don't say the p word in this sacred house!”

Blackie woke up from where she'd been snoozing in her basket, and trotted over to where Pidge was sprawled over Matt's body on the floor.

“Don't you _dare_ ,” Matt threatened, giving Blackie a meaningful glare. The mastiff didn't give a single fuck as she let her body fall on top of Pidge, crushing them both.

“That dog is a menace,” Lance said from his spot on the couch next to Shiro. He was holding the bag of peas to his head, trying to lessen the bruising as best he could.

Shiro turned his attention to Blackie and clicked his tongue. “Here girl,” he said cheerfully. Blackie immediately lifted her head and looked at Shiro with a twinkle in her eyes. She stood up and walked over to rest her head on his thigh, tail wagging. Shiro scratched her behind the ear.

“You say she's a menace, yet you were the one who took her to the vet when she'd swallowed a Lego,” Keith said. Him and Hunk were lighting more candles around the apartment.

“I didn't want her to _die_ , I was being a good dog sitter! Why was there even a Lego for her to swallow in the first place?” Lance asked.

Matt, who still had Pidge resting on top of him, spoke without looking up from his notes, using his phone to see. “We were in the Lego store, getting a present for Anne, when Shiro told me and Keith that he'd never stolen anything in his life, so we made him steal a Lego piece.”

“It wasn't that effective because while we were paying, he discreetly placed five cents on the counter,” Keith added. He was lighting the two old lanterns that hung from the bay window. The view was still blocked by snowflakes.

Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all laughed while Shiro leaned forward and buried his head in Blackie's neck.

“I'm pretty sure a Lego piece is worth less than five cents,” Pidge said, still smiling.

“I panicked,” Shiro said, voice muffle by Blackie's fur.

Keith walked over to the sofa table and placed a dozen tea lights on it, lighting one and using that to light the rest. Hunk had taken Matt's old guitar off the wall. He sat down on the rug by the foot of the couch and began tuning the instrument.

Pidge lifted herself from Matt and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. She looked at the sofa table, now covered in candles.

“This apartment is going to catch fire and I'm not saving your sorry ass when it does,” she said before going to sit next to Hunk on the rug.

Keith placed the last candle. “I hope a fire starts so I can burn to death,” he deadpanned while inspecting the dried candle wax on his fingers.

“We won't even have to pay for the cremation,” Shiro supplied while rising from his seat. “Probably won't even find your bone dust.” He walked to the kitchen to fill a plastic pitcher with water and get cups for all of them. Blackie trotted behind him.

“If you find my ashes, spread them through the woods of Vest Virginia so I can finally unite with Mothman,” Keith said. He quickly snagged Shiro's spot and plopped down next to Lance, putting his wooly sock-clad feet onto the table. Lance did the same, and let his right foot brush against Keith's left.

Shiro returned from the kitchen with a pitcher of water, plastic cups, and two bags of giant marshmallows. He placed it all on the table and plopped down on the floor next to Matt.

“Why does no one just get normal fucking marshmallows around here?” Keith asked. He still reached out, ripped the bag open, and stuffed two of the mallows in his mouth.

Pidge groaned and let her head fall back against the couch. “When will the power return from war?”

“The estimate is that the power'll be back around 2 AM,” Lance said, his face was lit up by his phone. “Weather reports say that the blizzard's not gonna start slowing down before 5 AM.” Lance's face fell.

“You okay?” Keith asked gently, scooting closer so his shoulder touched Lance's. Lance let out a sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, it's just … this is the first time I won't be home for Christmas.” Lance leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. Keith lightly laid his hand on top of Lance's.

“Me too,” Pidge said, looking down at her lap.

The room fell silent for a moment then. The wind was howling through every crack in the building. The reality of being locked in, trapped away from family on Christmas felt heavy. Blackie nudged Pidge with her nose before laying down and placing her head on the girl's lap.

“I mean,” Keith began, brows furrowed as he spoke, “we aren't spending Christmas without our families because … you guys, you feel like family, to me at least.” He laced his fingers with Lance's.

“Yeah,” Shiro said with a bitter-sweet smile. “We spent most of our childhood never knowing where we'd be during the holidays.”

“And mom never had enough money to get like, real gifts. Remember the year she got us a soap dispenser shaped like a nose?” Keith asked.

“And the soap would come out the nostrils,” Shiro chuckled.

“Dude, do you still have it?” Lance asked.

Shiro shrugged. “I don't know, could be in the storage room somewhere.”

Keith laughed. “Remember the year we had Chef Boyardee ravioli for Christmas dinner and our Christmas tree was just this singing toy shaped like a tree?”

“You were terrified of that thing!” Shiro joined in on the laughter. “So, Keith hated the thing so much, that when he was eleven and mom brought it out for Christmas, he got up in the dead of night, took the tree, and he – he went outside and -” Shiro had to stop to laugh, “- he _buried it in the desert!_ ”

Everyone started laughing.

“Do you think it's still there?” Keith asked between chuckles.

“I have no idea,” Shiro replied. “That wasn't even the only thing you buried, you also buried mom's Bee Gees CD.”

Keith huffed. “I couldn't listen to it anymore.”

“We should go on a pilgrimage to find all the things you buried,” Lance suggested.

Pidge sat up straight with gleaming eyes. “Yes! I've always wanted to go to Utah, do you know how many UFO sightings there have been there?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “We went on so many school trips to UFO sights.”

“I still don't know what they thought we'd use extensive knowledge of UFO's for,” Shiro said.

“You didn't even believe in aliens when we were kids,” Keith said.

Matt, Hunk, Pidge, and Lance all gasped in horror as they looked at Shiro with wide eyes.

“I'm cancelling the wedding,” Matt stated with a serious expression.

“How could you _not_ believe in aliens?” Hunk asked.

“Listen, I was a pretentious teenager okay.” Shiro raised his hands defensively. “I spent my entire life around alien enthusiasts so I wanted to be edgy.”

Matt ruffled Shiro's hair. “You're a dweeb,” he said affectionately.

“I want an alien for Christmas,” Lance sighed.

Keith, Hunk, and Pidge gave each other meaningful looks. Hunk slowly began strumming the guitar with a lopsided smile.

Then he started singing. “ _This year for Christmas, there's something I really need._ ”

Keith and Pidge joined in with enthusiasm.

“ _There's something I'd really like, so if you're up there somewhere Santa, please don't bring me another bike._ ”

Matt joined in for the second verse.

“ _I don't need any ugly sweaters, and I don't play much basketball, but there's something kinda special, that I want most of all ..._ ”

There was a poignant pause in which they all smiled at each other. Then the chorus began and everyone sang along, horribly off key and with no finesse at all, Hunk was the only one who sounded decent.

“ _I want an alien for Christmas! Bring me an alien this year! I want a little green guy around three feet high with seventeen eyes who knows how to fly, I want an alien for Christmas this year!_ ”

Matt jumped up and went to grab Pidge's hands, hauling her off the floor as the song went on. They started wildly jumping around, it might've slightly resembled dancing. Shiro stood up and joined them in their dance, air guitaring and head banging as he went, yelling the lyrics at the top of his lungs.

Hunk stood up with the guitar and spun around the room as he played, smiling so hard his face nearly split in two. Lance stood up on the couch, pulling Keith with him, and as the chorus started again they began jumping up and down. Keith did a ridiculous air guitar, matching his brother, while Lance dabbed as if his life depended on it.

“ _I want an alien for Christmas! Bring me an alien this year! I want a little green guy around three feet high with seventeen eyes who knows how to fly, I want an alien for Christmas this year!_ ”

As the instrumental portion began, Hunk did a power slide across the wooden floor, causing him to mess up the chords, but no one seemed to care. Shiro lifted Pidge up on his shoulders and spun around with her. Pidge locked eyes with Lance and they dabbed simultaneously, causing Keith to burst out laughing.

What is family? Some people would say family consists of the people you grew up with, the people who share your blood. But that's not really true.

Family is the people you feel safe being completely uninhibited around, the people who make you feel so loved and safe, the people who are willing to stay on the phone with you through a panic attack, the people who always have room for you. Family consists of the people who make you feel at home.

And on this Christmas eve, under the warm glow of candlelight with a blizzard raging outside, this family danced and sang until they all collapsed on the floor and laughed until their throats went dry.

 

* * *

 

_december 25 th _

 

**allura → ho ho hoes**

**allura:** MERRY CHRISTMAS

 **allura:** AND HAPPY HANUKKAH  <3

 **doormatt:** LONGEST YEAH BOIII EVER

 **pidge:** allura wtf

 **pidge:** it's 5 AM

 **pidge:** you're like 6 hours ahead of us

 **allura:** IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS CHEER YOU GREMLIN

 **shirogone:** you disturbed my christmas morning cuddles w my fiancée

 **shirogone:** im gonna fucksn strangle you

 **hunkalove:** GUYS LOOK OUTSIDE!!!!

 **hunkalove:** the blizzard has stopped!!

 **hunkalove:** and this is like the most amazing snow ever!!!!

 **hunkalove:** we gotta have a snowball fight later

 **allura:** no fair

 **allura:** there's only sludge here in london

 **shirogone:** fits ur personality

 **allura:** listen here you little punk wanna fuckin go

 **shirogone:** meet me in the fucking pit

 **doormatt:** this is the season of loving calm tf down

 **hunkalove:** me and pidge can't fall back asleep so we're gonna play jenga

 **pidge:** boiiiiiiiiii

 **shirogone:** i hope it falls on you killing you instantly

 **shirogone:** could use some peace and quiet around here

 **doormatt:** he's being a grump

 **doormatt:** he's smiling rn and he's really happy you guys are here

 **hunkalove:** awww ily shiro

 **shirogone:** going to sleep now bye

 **doormatt:** smh

 

* * *

 

Keith awoke to the sound of something toppling over in the living room. He groaned against the warmth of Lance's chest before stretching his arm and fumbling around the bedside table until he managed to wrap his fingers around a phone. It was Lance's, but he was too groggy to keep looking for his own.

He squinted against the morning light while typing the passcode. The phone unlocked and showed the time. It was half past eight in the morning.

He put the phone back and snuggled closer to Lance, yawning as he did so. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, he noticed that the sky outside his bedroom window was blue with a few large clouds floating leisurely. The sun was was shining for what felt like the first time in years, washing Keith's small room in pale, warm light and illuminating the dust particles floating around the room like tiny fireflies

Keith's room was little, the three inner walls were lavender, the outer wall was naked brick, and the floor was a fluffy deep brown carpet. His twin bed was pushed into the corner opposite his window, which led out to the fire escape. His desk was an absolute mess, every drawer of his dresser was slightly open, and his small bookshelf was stuffed to the brim.

Keith rolled off Lance with a huff. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Then he turned his head to look at Lance. A fond smile tugged the corners of Keith's mouth. He laid down on his side. He rested his head in the crook of his elbow with the back of his hand acting as a pillow for his face. He placed his other hand on Lance's shoulder, rubbing gently with his thumb.

Love is: Standing side by side in front of the bathroom mirror, making faces at each other as you brush your teeth. Buying rice milk instead of cow's milk because he's lactose intolerant. Fighting, but always knowing that you'll make up in the end. Being at a restaurant and scooping all the carrots off his plate onto yours because he doesn't like them.

Keith pondered this as he reached out to gently caress Lance's cheek. Love is a big word.

Keith lifted himself, resting his weight on his elbows, and leaned over Lance's face.

“Lance,” he said, voice soft. “Lance, wake up.”

When Lance didn't stir, Keith leaned in closer until their noses were touching.

“Lance it's fucking Christmas and if you don't wake up now I'm going to throw you out the window,” Keith whispered, breath tickling Lance's face.

Lance scrunched up his nose, making a displeased sound deep in his throat. Then he turned to the side, away from Keith.

“Don' wanna,” he grumbled.

“ _Laaance_ ,” Keith sing-songed. He leaned in and blew gently into Lance's ear, causing the taller boy to squirm.

“Ugh, eugh, Keith stop,” he whined, pushing Keith's face away.

“Then get up!” Keith's voice was full of excitement.

Lance rolled over again to face his boyfriend. Keith's eyes were wide and gleaming, and he wore a giddy smile on his face. It was infectious, Lance couldn't help but smile back.

“What are you, five?” he joked. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Five and a half,” he said. “Now come on, I'm hungry.”

“Why should I get up when I can just stay here and be toasty?” Lance asked.

“You should get up because I love you and I want you to make me waffles.”

It took Keith half a second to realize what he'd just said. His eyes grew comically wide and his mouth turned from a smile to a thin line as a blush bloomed from his cheeks to his neck.

Lance blinked once, twice, thrice, four times, mouth slightly open as he looked at Keith with large eyes. Suddenly he wasn't that tired as a comfortable warmth flowed through his veins, causing his cheeks to flush.

“I – that just slipped out,” Keith said, feeling like an imbecile. His gaze was coy as he looked down at Lance.

Lance sat up so him and Keith were on face level. His blue eyes shone in the morning light. “Say – say it again?” he asked, sounding breathless.

Keith bit his lip and scratched the back of his head. Fluttering butterflies settled at his fingertips, on his tongue, in his chest. He took a deep breath and looked Lance directly in the eyes.

“I love you.”

His voice was barely above a whisper, but Lance heard. His face broke into a wide smile, causing the corners of his eyes to wrinkle. He was glowing, absolutely glowing, every cell in his body was singing. He rushed forward and tackled Keith so they toppled over onto the mattress. Lance pressed his lips to Keith's red cheek, smiling as he did so. He looked at Keith's face. Keith was breathless, lips slightly parted, eyes searching. Lance leaned in until their noses touched.

“I love you too,” he said softly. And it was Keith's turn to smile.

Their lips met in a tender kiss, Keith's hands coming up to cup Lance's face. Keith decided that love couldn't be described. The bloom in his heart, the feeling of Lance's warm hands on his waist, contrasting with the cold room – it couldn't be wrapped up with words.

Lance pulled away, oonly slightly. “Now that you mention waffles, I'm kinda hungry ...” he trailed off.

“Ssssh,” Keith whispered and kissed him again.

 

* * *

 

Keith and Lance didn't get up in time to make breakfast, Hunk and Matt beat them to it by a mile. They cooked enough pancakes to satisfy a small army. There wasn't much else to eat in the apartment, but the sound of snow ploughs working outside carried the promise of fresh food.

“Did your moms call you?” Lance asked once they'd all sat down. Keith sat by his side, pouring chocolate sauce onto his pancake until it was practically swimming in it.

“I'm getting on a flight that leaves at five this afternoon,” Hunk answered, smiling widely as he did so.

“That's great,” Keith said happily through a mouthful of pancake. Then he turned to Shiro. “Are we leaving today?”

Shiro shook his head, then smiled. “Sam and Colleen are coming down here instead,” he replied.

“Mom really doesn't want us to drive,” Matt added, rolling his eyes as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“You and Shiro are horrible drivers,” Keith said.

Matt raised an eyebrow. “Uhm excuse you? The pop calling the kettle black here.”

“Shiro drives like an 80 year old man,” Keith began, pointed at Shiro with his fork, “and Matt, you ran your old Nissan Cube into a street light.”

Pidge giggled. “Because you were distracted singing Hilary Duff,” she said.

“Uhm that is a severe accusation there Pidgeotto,” Matt said, covering his heart with his hand. “It wasn't Hilary Duff, it was Lindsey Lohan's hit album _Speak_ from 2004.”

“That album is an underrated American treasure,” Keith said. Lance nodded, mouth full of pancakes.

After breakfast, Shiro announced that he was talking Blackie out for a walk. Hunk, Lance, and Keith all decided to tag along, while Pidge chose to stay and help Matt with the dishes. Between work, school, and relationships, the two siblings rarely had time to be together, just the two of them.

The radio was on, playing old Christmas carols. The city had awoken again, playing its regular sounds of cars and hurried steps. The excited stomping from the kids in the apartment below were audible through the floor.

Pidge was sat on the kitchen counter beside the sink, drying the dishes Matt handed her. She hummed along with the music, enjoying the safety of the moment.

“I can't believe you're getting married,” she said suddenly while wiping off a mug shaped like Mike Wazowski's head.

Matt smiled. “I'm not getting married for another year Pidge.”

“Yeah but you're still getting married,” Pidge said. “You're gonna be someone's husband, you're gonna live with your husband and your dog, that's so weird.”

“Why is me getting married such a strange thing?” Matt asked.

“Because you're _you_ , you're a weird nerd, you drink tea and wear ugly t-shirts with bad puns on them, you used to fling your boogers at old Bertha.”

“Bertha was a bitch, she never let us play in her garden.”

“True, but like – your boogey-flinging ass is getting _married_.” Pidge made a face.

Matt rolled his eyes. “It's not like I'm gonna be flinging boogeys at my wedding Pidge.”

“Aww maaan,” Pidge whined. “You really are getting old.” She pouted.

A smirk spread on Matt's face as he gathered some foam in his hand. He swiftly reached out and shoved it in Pidge's hair, caus8ng her to let out a surprised yelp. She stared at him before narrowing her eyes. She leaned forward and dipped the dirty rag in the lukewarm water before throwing it in Matt's face, all in a matter of seconds.

And so began what would later be dubbed the First Kitchen Destruction. When the others returned from their walk, they'd find the kitchen in a state of chaos with the sink overflowing with foam and the two siblings chasing each other, covering the floor in wet footsteps.

But they hadn't returned from their walk yet. Matt knew that cleaning up before his parents' arrival would be an even bigger chore now, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he chased his laughing and screaming sister around the apartment. Sometimes, he thought, you just gotta let yourself breathe.

Meanwhile, Blackie was letting loose in the dog park, galloping across the vast expanse of open snow with her tongue flapping loosely from the side of her mouth. Lance, Keith, and Shiro were throwing a ball between themselves and the mastiff, occasionally engaging some of the other dogs as well. Hunk sat on a bench by the entrance to the park with the phone up to his hear, waiting for Shay to pick up.

He didn't have to wait long.

“Hunk!” she exclaimed immediately after picking up. “Merry Christmas to you!”

Hunk smiled. “Shay, how's Tampa?”

“Oh, you know,” she said, Hunk could almost hear her eye roll, “plenty of old people, Trump bumper stickers, Rax's endless droning about law school.” She sighed. “I love my family, you know I do, I just feel slightly … suffocated I suppose you could say.”

“I know the feeling,” Hunk said.

“I shouldn't complain, really, it's silly.”

“No, no it isn't silly, your feelings aren't silly. Just because you find them overwhelming at times doesn't mean you love them any less.”

“You're right,” she said, smile audible in her voice. “I'm so glad I can talk to you about anything, I miss you.”

Hunk blushed. “I miss you too, I'm so used to having you around.”

Shay laughed. “My mom keeps asking me when she'll get to meet you, she's constantly saying things like,” Shay began imitating her mother's voice, “ _mama, how can we know you have chosen a good boy if we cannot meet him?_ ”

Hunk laughed at her imitation despite not knowing how accurate it was. “Tell her hi from me,” he said.

“I will, she was so worried when I told her about the blizzard. Of course I was as well,” Shay said.

“It was alright in the end.” Hunk's smile turned soft. “We had fun, Lance hit his head on the toilet seat, we found out that Shiro failed at shoplifting a Lego, Pidge and me created probably the wackiest Jenga tower of all time - I'm sort of glad it happened, is that weird?” he asked.

“It sounds like you guys had a lovely time,” Shay said with a smile. “It isn't weird to appreciate new experiences, especially ones as unexpected and spontaneous as the one you all just had. Will you tell me more about it?”

Hunk told her about the whole thing, from the snowmobile to aliens for Christmas. When they'd said their goodbyes and hung up, Shiro, Lance, and Keith were making their way towards him, Blackie trotting behind them happily with a large branch locked between her teeth.

They began their walk back to the apartment. The city was waking up again properly now. Cars and buses were back on the roads, people were scurrying about in their hats and scarves – but it was still serene, serene in the way it only is on the days between Christmas and New Year's. The world stops for a moment. Most shops were closed, and many of the decorations that had adorned the buildings had been blown off in the blizzard. But the snow compensated for it.

Keith and Lance let themselves fall a bit behind the other three. Lance's hand was warm and snug in the crook of Keith's elbow. There was something so domestic about walking together down the snow-clad street like that; it made Lance's stomach flutter.

“So,” Lance began, flushing as he spoke. “Mom asked if you would like to, uhm, come over for like, Christmas dinner tonight.” He used his free hand to scratch at the back of his head.

“Oh?” Keith felt his own cheeks heat up.

“Yeah, uh, you could stay the night if you – if you want to because it's a long drive back y'know, but you don't have to come, she just suggested it because she hasn't seen you since we became b-boyfriends so uh, yeah.” Lance bit his lower lip and look at his boots.

Keith placed his free hand on top of the one Lance had tucked through Keith's arm. He smiled at his flustered boyfriend.

“I'd like that,” he said, gazing fondly at the taller boy.

Lance smiled widely, so widely it gave him crow's feet. Keith loved that smile. Keith loved Lance.

And Lance loved Keith.

 

* * *

 

It was hours later. Keith had left with Lance, Hunk had made his flight safe and sound, Sam and Colleen were out on an evening stroll, and Pidge had fallen asleep on the couch; her new tablet discarded on the coffee table. All was still. The lights were dimmed, amplifying the twinkling from the Christmas tree. Matt made his way to the couch on light feet. He took the blanket that was folded on the armrest and spread it over his sleeping sister, gently tucking her in.

“Hey Matt, c'mere for a sec,” Shiro called softly from the kitchen archway. Matt made his way over to his fiancée.

“What?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Shiro wrapped his arms around Matt's waist. “Just wanted to get you under the mistletoe with me,” he said, smirking.

Matt glanced up and saw the mistletoe he himself had hung under the kitchen archway a week prior. The archway was also framed by white fairy lights that twinkled softly, putting stars in Shiro's eyes. Matt smiled and looked at his fiancée with fond eyes.

“Y'know, we're engaged, you can kiss me whenever you want,” he said with a smile.

Shiro leaned in until their noses were touching. “But I wanted to kiss you under the mistletoe.”

“Hmmm,” Matt hummed, wrapping his arms around Shiro's neck. “Kiss me then.”

Shiro pressed his lips to Matt's gently, Matt couldn't help but smile into the kiss. It was loving, patient, and gentle. They had all the time in the world in that moment.

When they parted, Matt rested his head on Shiro's chest. Shiro put hos chin on top of Matt's head, tightening his arms around his waist.

“Around this time next year we'll be getting married,” Shiro murmured as he began swaying them gently to the soft holiday tunes playing from the stereo.

Matt snuggled closer. “After we get married, I'm never saying your name again, I'll just call you husband.”

Shiro chuckled. “I love you so much y'know.”

“Wow, really? I hadn't noticed,” Matt said, his voice growing heavy with sleep.

“Mm-hmm,” Shiro hummed. Matt felt the vibrations.

“I guess I sorta love you too,” Matt said before letting out a wide yawn.

“Only sorta?” Shiro asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, would love you more if you carried me to bed and tucked me in.”

“Anything for you.”

In a few days, the world would start spinning again. But until then, they'd stand still with it.

.:✧:.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was probably full of mistakes, i'm sorry
> 
> i hope y'all had good holidays!! thank you for all the support i've been given this year, it's truly been a fleck of light in the shitfest that was 2016
> 
> as always, response is very appreciated!
> 
> yell at me about this verse at my [tumblr](http://mcclaln.tumblr.com/)


End file.
